Is a Proxy Marriage a Real Marriage?

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The most important thing to understand about a Proxy Marriage is that it is completely legal, official, and no different than a non-proxy marriage. Under the laws of the State of Montana, a proxy marriage is legally identical to a non-proxy marriage. In fact, a non-proxy wedding ceremony results in a license and marriage that is identical to a proxy marriage license.

Montana makes no distinction between proxy marriages and non-proxy marriages. A proxy marriage is not a fake marriage, a temporary marriage, or in any way inferior to a non-proxy marriage. Instead it is a legally recognized marriage, which under the laws of the United States, must be recognized by the rest of the country.

Montana law provides for double proxy marriages at MCA § 40-1-301. The law requires that at least one party to the marriage be “a member of the armed forces of the United States on federal active duty.” If you meet this requirement, the law allows for your attorney to submit the required paperwork to the Clerk of Court in your place. A number of businesses exist to make sure that your paperwork is complete, and that the process is legal and meets the strict requirements of state and federal law.

Although proxy marriage is somewhat uncommon, it is a powerful legal concept, and it is important that you fully understand the importance of the steps you are about to take. Marriage should never be entered into lightly, and a proxy marriage is no different.

Are Proxy Marriages Legal?

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The short answer: Absolutely. But I want to help you understand why a proxy marriage is a completely legal and binding marriage. The first thing to understand is that a proxy marriage is not a separate thing under Montana law. It is just one of several ways to obtain the same Montana marriage. Montana law allows you to obtain a marriage license in two different ways. The bride and groom can appear together and request the license; or their attorney can go to court and request it for them. When the attorney requests the license, it is generally known as a proxy marriage- but that distinction does not exist in the law. A marriage where the bride and groom request the marriage license is no different than a marriage when the attorney requests the license. It still results in the same legal marriage under the laws of the state of Montana.

In order to qualify to have your attorney request the license, you must meet one of two different requirements. Either the bride or the groom must be either a resident of Montana or a member of the armed forces on federal active duty. One party to the marriage meeting one of those requirements is enough to qualify for the proxy marriage under Montana law. Your attorney will likely ask you to complete an affidavit swearing that one of those two requirements are true. He will then give that to the court to prove that you qualify and that he can obtain the marriage license on your behalf.

A proxy marriage ceremony is then performed in accordance with Montana law which bonds you to your spouse in an identical way to any other marriage performed in Montana (but without the inconvenience of travel). It cannot be stressed enough that a proxy marriage is identical to any other marriage in Montana. You receive the same marriage license, you are recorded in the same database, you are legally married.

And, once you are married in Montana, that legal standing carries over into other states, the federal government, and the various branches of the armed forces because of the legal principle of comity. Under the Constitution of the United States, the legal actions of one state must be recognized by other states. Like anything else in the law, there are some exceptions. But basically, if you are married in one state you are married in all states. This applies to traditional marriages and it applies to proxy marriages. Like we’ve been discussing: in Montana a marriage is a marriage is a marriage.

Your proxy marriage will be legal in Montana, the rest of the United States, and anywhere that recognizes U.S. marriages in the world. So to answer the question, yes, proxy marriages are legal.

The Double Proxy Marriage Process

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Obtaining a double proxy marriage in Montana can seem a little bit like magic. You call a number, make a payment, fill out a few forms and suddenly are married. The reality is that this streamlined process is possible because the organizations offering a double proxy marriage service do a lot of work behind the scenes to make your experience as easy and quick as possible. But in case you’re the type of person who likes to know how the sausage is made, here’s a breakdown of the steps involved.

When they first started, the proxy organization contacted a lawyer who helped draw up the necessary paperwork and turn it into forms that could quickly and easily be completed by couples who wanted to get married. These forms comply with Montana law by establishing that one member of the marriage is either a resident of Montana or a member of the armed forces on federal active duty. They also address the issue of rubella testing which is required by Montana law prior to a marriage (whether by proxy or not). These forms have been revised over the years to make the process as easy for you as possible. The final thing the forms do is give enough information to allow your Montana proxy marriage attorney to complete the required paperwork in applying for your marriage license.

Once the legal documents have been received, your proxy marriage lawyer completes the marriage license application and then delivers the necessary paperwork to the District Court. The court then processes the paperwork and prepares a marriage license which is returned to your lawyer and delivered to the officiant. Montana allows for a variety of officiants, and depending on which proxy marriage service you select you may have a pastor, a judge, or an officiant. Whoever it is then performs your marriage ceremony with two proxies standing in for you and your spouse. The moment that ceremony is complete and the document is signed you are legally married, but there are still a few more steps to go through for legal scrutiny.

The completed marriage license is then returned to the court so that it can be processed and sent to the state records archive. Very shortly after it is returned, the court issued what are called “certified copies” of your marriage license. These are the legal documents that prove your marriage. Although your original marriage license will be returned to you later, it is the certified copies that actually prove the marriage. The original license is just a nicer looking (although less official) version to hang on your wall or keep in the family bible.

A Montana proxy marriage produces a marriage just a real, permanent and legal as more traditional methods. It is authorized by the laws of Montana, done under the supervision of an attorney, and performed by an authorized officiant. In many ways, the process is more thorough than traditional methods- but for the people getting married it often seems to just happen. Just remember, there are a lot of people working behind the scenes to make sure your proxy marriage is legal and binding.

Is Proxy Marriage for You?

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A wedding is one of the most special and important times in anyone’s life. Deciding to get married is a personal decision that really doesn’t compare to anything else. If you are considering a proxy marriage, this decision should be no different. But there are a couple of things to keep in mind while making your decision.

A Proxy Marriage is Just as Real and Permanent as Any Other
For some reason, some people think that a proxy marriage is less real because it doesn’t involve a physical ceremony that the bride and groom attend. Well, I’ve got news for you: this is as real as it gets. Once a proxy marriage takes place, you are married everywhere in the U.S. and the only way to undo that is with a legal divorce. And remember, just because the bride and groom don’t attend the ceremony, doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.

You Can Still Have a Wonderful Wedding
Many people who obtain a proxy marriage or a double proxy marriage still have weddings the next time they can be together with their spouse. Proxy marriage doesn’t stop you from having a beautiful wedding with a white dress and a beautiful bride walking down the aisle. It just lets you be legally married earlier. The only difference in a wedding done after the proxy marriage is that the marriage license doesn’t get signed after the ceremony because it was already signed back when you obtained your proxy marriage.

Benefits May Start Accruing Immediately
There are numerous benefits available to spouses of military personnel that become active as soon as the marriage is legal. If a proxy marriage takes place seven months before the wedding ceremony, that’s seven months more of benefits that would have been lost. This can also be a major factor in child birth because the next time the husband is able to travel home may be after his child is due. In that case, it makes a lot of sense to make the marriage legal before the birth and then have a large celebration later when everyone can be together.

Because you’re already married, a proxy marriage can take a lot of the stress out of wedding planning and help everyone to have a better experience. So get the best of both worlds: a legal marriage today and a beautiful ceremony later.

What about a Proxy Divorce?

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In the United States, Montana allows for double proxy marriages, and other states offer single proxy marriages, but currently no states have a process for proxy divorces. This can be very confusing for people who obtain a proxy marriage, and should be better understood. While we never want to go into a wedding thinking that it’s going to end, the reality is that more than half of all marriages end in divorce. Being aware of what it will take to get divorced before completing your proxy marriage may be a smart move for even the greatest romantics among us.

Even though Montana will allow you to be married without even stepping foot in the state (if one party to the marriage is an active duty member of the armed forces, it will not allow you to get divorced that way. In fact, even though Montana may have been the place of your marriage there is a good chance it will not even consider handling your divorce. Montana divorce law, like much of the country, is based around personal jurisdiction. This means that in order for a court to divorce you, you must live in the state where that court resides, or at least be a resident of that state. So, even though Montana may have issued your marriage license, unless you or your spouse have lived there it is unlikely that Montana courts can help with your divorce.

The idea behind proxy divorce is really no different than proxy marriage. States have the legal authority to divorce married couples found within their jurisdiction. A proxy divorce would take place in a certain jurisdiction with stand-ins (or proxies) taking the physical place of the husband and the wife. The court would then have jurisdiction over the marriage and be able to dissolve it.

Obviously a proxy divorce would work best, and probably only work at all, when there are no children involved and the couple’s property has already been divided. Those tend to be the biggest issues of contention in a divorce, and if you need to fight about them in Court a proxy wouldn’t be a very good option. But for many people, who have already ended their relationship and just need a legal document to move on, a proxy divorce could be a wonderful option. Especially when you consider that combined divorce attorneys fees often run in $10,000 – $20,000 range at a minimum.

There are a few countries outside of the united states that offer single and double proxy divorce. If you meet the qualifications discussed above, this may be a good option for you and your ex. Or at least a more affordable and quick option to look into.

A Fast Marriage Online

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Proxy marriages are often called “online marriages” because they happen largely through the internet. Usually, the process involves contacting a company who specializes in proxy marriages and discussing your situation. They can then advise you whether a proxy marriage is right for you. If it is, they will usually email you a series of documents that you sign and have notarized. Once that’s complete, you can mail the documents back so that the documents can be processed, sent to the attorneys, and ultimately submitted to the court. Because so much of the communication happens via email, people may think of this as an online marriage.

But while a proxy marriage has many of the advantages of an online marriage, it is still a legal marriage just like any other. It really is the best of both worlds. Fast, quick, and easy; but totally legal and binding.

Although Montana is the only state to allow for double proxy marriages, the rest of the United States are required to recognize those marriages because of the constitutional principle called comity. This means that the legal acts of one state must be recognized by the other states. This applies equally to the federal government and military. While it may be easy to think of a proxy marriage as an online marriage, it’s important to remember that you are definitely married more than just online. You’re married in the real world.

The internet is changing everything about our lives, including how we can get married. Email makes obtaining a proxy marriage quick and easy, but the marriage is just as permanent. If you’re interested in learning more about getting a proxy marriage online, contact one of the many proxy marriage providers to learn more about the process.

Montana Double Proxy Marriage

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Montana is the only U.S. State that allows for double proxy marriages. A double proxy marriage allows both and bride and the groom to be absent from the ceremony, but still results in a legal marriage. If Mike and Sally want to get married, but Mike is stationed in Germany on active duty with the U.S. Air Force, and Sally lives in Florida and can’t travel to Montana, a double proxy marriage would allow them to still be married quickly, easily, and affordably. Two people known as proxies, would stand in for Mike and Sally at the wedding ceremony, allowing a legal marriage to still take place.

Montana places some limitations on who can receive a double proxy marriage. Only active duty members of the armed forces or residents of Montana can be married by double proxy in Montana. A resident of Montana, even someone living temporarily elsewhere, can use a double proxy marriage to marry anyone they choose. Likewise, an active duty member of the armed forces, no matter where they are a resident, can use a double proxy marriage to marry anyone they choose. Only one party to the marriage, either the bride or the groom, needs to meet this requirement. So, if the bride is a resident of Montana, the groom does not need to be either a resident of Montana or an active duty member of the armed forces. And, if the groom is a member of the armed forces on active duty, it doesn’t matter if the bride is neither a resident of Montana nor an active duty member of the armed forces.

If you meet these qualifications, you need to find an attorney who will assist you with your double proxy marriage. Montana law requires that your attorney submit the marriage paperwork to the Montana court. While it’s possible to simply call a Montana lawyer and find someone to help you, that’s often not the most cost-effective way to obtain a double proxy marriage. Instead, it usually wise to contact a company that specializes in double proxy marriages. They often have established relationships with attorneys who are familiar with the process and will represent you at a reduced fee because of the stream of marriages they receive from the company. But make sure to do your homework. Just because a company is offering double proxy marriages on the internet, it doesn’t mean that they are legit. Find out who their attorney is and, if you can, talk to him or her.

Double proxy marriage is a great way for engaged couples separated by distance to be married now. There are a lot of reasons that it makes sense to get married immediately instead of waiting until you can physically be together again. Military benefits, health insurance, even pregnancy can all make an immediate marriage better than nothing. And remember, just because you’re married by proxy today, it doesn’t mean that you can’t have the big wedding you’ve always dreamed of next spring.

What is a Proxy Marriage?

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A proxy marriage is when two people are married, but one or both of them is not actually present for the marriage ceremony. It’s a completely legal process, when done correctly, and lets people separated by distance still marry one another. For example, imagine that Sarah and Ben want to get married, but Ben is in the military and stationed in Afghanistan. Ordinarily, they would not be able to marry because they couldn’t both be in the same place for the ceremony until Ben returns from war. But with a proxy marriage, the two of them can be legally married, even though neither was in Montana for the marriage ceremony.

There are two types of proxy marriage: a single proxy marriage and a double proxy marriage. Like the names suggest, the difference between the two depends on whether both the bride and groom are absent, or just one of them is. In a single proxy marriage, one of the future spouses is present at the marriage ceremony and a third party stands in for the other. This is called a single proxy because there is only one proxy involved: the third party filling in. In a double proxy ceremony, both the bride and the groom are elsewhere and both have stand-ins. In this case there are two proxies in the ceremony so it is called a double proxy marriage.

Currently, Montana is the only State in the U.S. to allow for double proxy marriages, and it only does so under certain circumstances. To be eligible for a double proxy marriage in Montana, one of the people getting married must either be a resident of Montana or an active duty member of the armed forces. If you are a resident of Montana, you do not need to be on active duty. If you are on active duty, you do not need to be a resident of Montana. And, unfortunately, if neither you nor your future spouse is a resident of Montana or an active duty member of the armed forces, you are not eligible for a Montana double proxy marriage.

Other states offer single proxy marriages for non-residents. While less convenient, if is the only way you can be married, it’s often worth the extra work. There are several organizations that will help you arrange a single proxy marriage in their state and work with you to schedule the details. This scenario only works if one of you is able to travel. Of course it would also work if you were both able to travel, but in that case why not just travel to see one another and get married in person?

Over the years, a number of great businesses have come along to help people looking to obtain a single or double proxy marriage. Unfortunately, just like anything else, there are some bad eggs as well. Before sending your money to one of these organizations, make sure to do your homework first. A Montana Double Proxy Marriage requires that an attorney be involved. Find out who the attorney is. Find out if you can speak with him or her. Find out whether the company offers any other services, or whether they specialize in proxy marriages. It may seem like a hassle now, but if it saves you from getting scammed it will definitely be worth it.

Proxy Marriage

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Proxy Marriages allow couples who are separated by distance to be married quickly and easily. In a proxy wedding, stand-ins take the place of the bride or groom. There are two different kids of proxy marriages: single proxy or double proxy. In a single proxy ceremony, there is only one stand-in. In a double proxy ceremony both the bride and the groom are represented by stand-ins. The legal terminology for this stand-in is a “proxy.” In the United States, a number of states allow for single proxy marriages while only Montana permits double proxy marriages.

Proxy Marriages present the unique ability for couples separated by distance to still be married. Traditionally, both the bride and the groom had to be present in the same jurisdiction for a marriage ceremony to be performed. This continues to be the law in most U.S. states. Thankfully, there are a few exceptions. Currently, California, Kansas, Missouri and Texas allow for single proxy marriages. Montana is the only state to permit double proxy marriages.

But just because other states don’t allow for these marriages, it doesn’t mean that your marriage won’t be valid in those areas. The U.S. Constitution includes the principle of comity which applies to all U.S. marriage law. Other than marriages which could be rejected as against public policy, any state is constitutionally required to acknowledge the marriages of any other state. So, for example, if you are married in a proxy ceremony in Montana, other states like Pennsylvania will be required to recognize it. This requirement extends to the U.S. Federal Government, all branches of the U.S. armed forces and military, and all U.S. states and territories.

Single and double proxy marriages in these states are subject to the laws of that state. Generally, having someone to guide you through the process is helpful and beneficial. For example, Montana requires that an attorney represent the bride and groom when they submit their application for a double proxy ceremony. By using one of the established services, you get the benefit of being put in immediate contact with an attorney familiar with the process and who has (usually) already negotiated a flat-fee with the service provider. It is unlikely that you will be able to find an attorney on your own who will offer a comparable price.

Also, it’s important to know that the different states have different requirements in order to qualify for a proxy marriage. Montana, for example, will only permit a proxy marriage for residents of the state or active duty members of the armed forces. Likewise, California will only allow a single proxy marriage for a member of the armed forces who is stationed overseas and serving in a conflict or a war. If you’re confused about whether you qualify for a proxy marriage, contacting one of the service providers can be a huge help as they will often work with you to determine where you qualify. As always on the internet, beware of scammers. Do your research to determine that the company you are speaking with is legitimate and not out to make a quick buck at your expense.